page_title: Vauxhall Chevette
section_title: Development
hierarchical_section_title: Vauxhall Chevette / Development
caption_attribution_description: Vauxhall Chevette outside UK Car Driving school
context_page_description: The Vauxhall Chevette supermini or compact car was manufactured by Vauxhall in the United Kingdom from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the "T-Car" small-car family from Vauxhall's parent General Motors, and based primarily on the Opel Kadett C. The family also included the Isuzu Gemini in Japan, the Holden Gemini in Australia, the Chevrolet Chevette in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina, and in the U.S. and Canada was rebadged as Pontiac Acadian/Pontiac T1000.
context_section_description: The Chevette, as its name implies, was intended to be a small (baby) Chevrolet. At the same time as the Chevette project was being considered in America, Vauxhall Motors publicised a new design project, provisionally referred to as the Baby R, but this was not used. Instead, a common design was chosen for all markets based upon an existing vehicle, the Opel Kadett. The car was first launched in Brazil in 1973 as a slightly restyled Kadett with a hatchback added to the model range. This hatchback was launched in the U.S. and Britain in 1975 with restyled front ends.  Initial production was at Vauxhall's Luton, Bedfordshire, factory, then Chevette assembly was moved to the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire to allow production of the larger Cavalier and Carlton models to be moved to Luton from Opel plants in Belgium and Germany.
  The UK version of the vehicle was intended to fit into the Vauxhall range below the Viva, and was initially presented only in its hatchback version, a style that became very popular during the 1970s. With its Pontiac-inspired 'shovel nose' and inset headlamps, the UK version looked radically different from the Opel Kadett and was accepted by the motoring public as a completely new car; when the saloon, estate car, and van variants appeared and the hatchback was added to the Kadett lineup the common lineage became apparent. The Chevette was one of the first British-built hatchbacks of this size, the first perhaps being the Austin A40 Countryman.; Ford did not respond with a similar product until the following year (their similar-sized offerings all having conventional rear boots).
  Sales began on 1 May 1975, from a price of £1,593.
  From 1975 until 1978, the Chevette was the UK's best-selling hatchback, as UK branded rivals failed to respond to the challenge of the imported Peugeot 104, Fiat 127, and Renault 5 until the arrival of Ford's Fiesta at the end of 1976. Chrysler UK did not launch its Chrysler Sunbeam until 1977, while only in 1980 did British Leyland come up with the Austin Metro. The Chevette also managed to outsell larger hatchbacks, including the Austin Maxi and Chrysler Alpine.
  The Chevette's 1.3-litre engine and relatively small bodyshell allowed for good performance. The Chevette had a light steering, clutch, and gear change, as well as good visibility, and was spacious inside. The Chevette's success was probably due to its versatility, which compared well with larger cars such as the Ford Escort. It was available in three-door hatchback for the single driver, saloon models that suited families, an estate car for the service fleets, and the Chevanne van version for utility purposes.
  The original hatchback was launched in the UK using Vauxhall's slogan and musical jingle, which capitalised on its practicality and widespread appeal: "It's whatever you want it to be! - A sporty coupe, a family saloon, a handy estate...". It was made at the purpose-built factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, under a government initiative to bring employment to the area.
  More conventional two- and four-door saloons, and three-door estate variants (essentially the Kadett C with Vauxhall front bodywork and engines) were also offered from June 1976. The two-door coupé version of the Kadett C was the only version of the Opel car not to have a Chevette equivalent.
  The Viva was discontinued in 1979, with the Opel Kadett D entering production in the same year. This car was intended also to be produced in the US and UK, as the second-generation Chevette, but due to various industrial issues at the time, GM decided to shelve most of the Ellesmere Port plant, retaining only the assembly shop to build the new car. These would be assembled from knock-down kits, although they were initially imported fully built-up from Opel's plant in Bochum. Due to the huge loss of workforce this would cause, representations were made that resulted in the decision to continue production of existing models alongside the new. This meant that a new name would have to be found for Vauxhall's version of the new Opel Kadett, so in March 1980, 
caption: The Chevrolet Chevette copied the Vauxhall Chevette's shovel-nose
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